Achievements and impact

Action on money laundering and confiscation of crime proceeds

Since the 1980s, there has been a wave of global activity seeking improved control of money laundering and confiscation of crime proceeds. This set of research studies constitutes core empirical analysis of the scale of financial crimes, how their business, regulatory and criminal justice controls actually operate, and what can be properly said about the impacts of these measures.

The studies have informed and helped to shape the organised crime and fraud strategies of the UK, the Council of Europe and UN (pre-2008), and of the Home Office, UK enforcement agencies, and the EC Justice and Home Affairs post-2008.

All Wales Hate Crime Study

Crime sensing

Members of the CCLJ are also involved in projects supported by the Collaborative On-line Social Media ObServatory (COSMOS) on ‘crime sensing’ or registering crime through social media communications as well as administrative and curated data sets.

Improving the response to victims of violence

A series of inter-related research projects, conducted over the last decade by Amanda Robinson, have contributed to significant changes in the services afforded to victims of domestic and sexual violence. Dr. Robinson’s research has produced identifiable national and international policy impacts as organizations and governments have used findings from her work to inform their decision-making about the development, implementation and funding of services for these victims of crime. Consequently, service delivery for victims of domestic and sexual violence is becoming more holistic, efficient, and effective, both in the UK and beyond.

Innovations in policing

Pioneering research by the Universities’ Police Science Institute has made police more effective at understanding and responding to the crime and disorder problems driving insecurity within and across different communities. UPSI’s work has provided an evidence base about how to engage effectively with communities so that policing interventions target those issues that influence how people think, feel and act about their safety. Key impacts have been: improving the outcomes achieved by South Wales Police’s Neighbourhood Policing Teams; fundamentally changing the policing of antisocial behaviour across England and Wales; and informing the Prevent counter-terrorism strategy for the UK and overseas.

Piracy studies

Since 2010 Dr Christian Bueger has been working on the problem of contemporary maritime piracy. This case is especially interesting because it reveals many of the planning and implementation challenges of integrating security and development measures. Specifically Dr Bueger is interested in understanding how the international community coordinates actions against piracy on a global (UN), regional (East African) and local (Horn of Africa, Somalia) level and the consequences of security cooperation on each of these levels.

Dr Bueger collaborates with several national and international partners to advance the inter-disciplinary project of piracy studies. Results of the project have been or will be published in the Journals Contemporary Security Policy, Global Policy, WMU Journal of Maritime Affairs, and an edited volume on the global governance of piracy forthcoming with Routledge. Presently Dr Beuger is working on a book length manuscript on the topic forthcoming with Polity Press. Part of the project is also to edit a research blog on Piracy Studies which documents academic work on contemporary piracy. Access the blog

The URBIS project the possibilities for ‘urban security management’ given the increasing freedom of movement of people, goods and services across national borders, an increasingly austere economic climate and consequent pressures on governing capacity in European cities. The distinctiveness of the current situation is captured in the idea of ‘acting locally while thinking globally’ about threats to the freedom and security of European citizens. In particular the project explores which public authorities are empowered and legally obliged to manage urban security, what skills and competencies they have to undertake this responsibility and what educational and training provision currently exists in support of their work.

On the basis of this review, undertaken by Adam Edwards, Gordon Hughes and Nick Lord, the project will consider any further need to professionalise this area of work. It will then design and trial a postgraduate-level programme of teaching and learning emphasising a comparative understanding of urban security in Europe and questioning the possibilities for exchanging expertise and experience amongst public authorities.

Sex Offender Public Disclosure: Learning from the UK pilots & International Research

Cardiff University is co-leading an ESRC funded Knowledge Exchange Network on ‘Sex Offender Public Disclosure-Learning from the UK Pilots and International Research’ (ref ES/J010251/1) with Dr Kieran McCartan of University of Western England (grant holder), and Professor Hazel Kemshall of De Montfort University. This exciting venture brings together some 11 statutory and voluntary sector organisations with the three universities to share research findings from recent schemes across the UK to pilot sex offender public disclosure or ‘Sarah’s Law’.

The network will consider best practice for operating such schemes, public access and use of the ‘right to know’ about sex offenders in their communities, and overall best practice in the community management of sex offenders. The network brings together UK and international experts on sexual offending, key policy makers from government, and the leading NGOs and charities working in this area. For more information please visit our website: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/hls/research/sexoffenderpublicdisclosure.aspx.